The Art Of The Raffle Gift

At every Certus Event, members and guests are given the opportunity to offer something of value to be raffled off to the other participants. You may not understand how to really leverage this, or even why we do it. You also may not understand the art of the gift, and that’s what we hope to clear up today.

Why You Should Give Something Away in the Certus Raffle

Early in the life of Certus, a particular dog trainer was a member and attending Certus meetings with regularity. For the raffle, he gave away a free training session certificate. One after another, the certificates were gifted and used. The attendees who chose the dog training knew they would use them- they self-selected into working with the trainer. Seeing his methods, and more importantly, his results, they continued to give him business. They also gave him referrals and testimonials. The trainer grew his business in this way rather quickly.

The lesson: offer something that gives a taste of your product or service so that someone who is interested can self-select in. When you meet with the winner of your raffle, show them your methods and results so they can give you business, whether personally or through a referral or testimonial.

Why You Should Be A Winner in the Certus Raffle

Who doesn’t want to win free stuff? Believe it or not, some people chose to not participate in the raffle for a variety of reasons. We propose that you participate every time, and here’s why: putting your card into the drawing means you are given an opportunity to connect with another member on a deeper level. If you are networking and not wanting to build deeper relationships, you will not be successful in your efforts.

When you win a prize from the raffle table, the gifter gets your business card so they can follow up with you. Be open with them about whether you chose the gift for yourself or for someone else.

Guess what? You CAN chose a gift to re-gift! We all have a network of people in our lives who are looking for the services and products Certus members offer- so why not make a connection? This is why we network- to get referrals. Don’t ever feel like you are doing a disservice by giving the free gift to someone else you know can benefit. Think about who in your network could benefit from the gift and make it a point to make the connection.

What to Gift

So then the question becomes, what should you gift? Here are a few suggestions:

Do offer something you feel would be a value to the receiver. For example, a free car wash pass.

Don’t offer something that requires a purchase from you to receive. A discount off a service is helpful if it is something the client would use, however, consider what you may be able to offer for free to build the relationship instead.

Do offer something that will build the “know, like and trust” factor. For example, admission to an educational seminar or a free cup of coffee.

Don’t forget who your ideal client is. Think about what your ideal client would want so that they do choose your gift as a way to learn more about you. If you want to appeal to a homeowner, over a renter for example, offer something that a homeowner would want. Like the above example, someone without a dog wouldn’t take a dog trainer certificate. Think about who you want to work with and gear your gift that way.

Do be creative. It shows when you have planned ahead and bring a gift that took thought. Be creative in putting together a gift that will attract your ideal client, offer something of value and build rapport.

If you haven’t considered participating in the Certus raffle, we hope you will now consider a creative way to participate as both a gifter and a winner!